Complete guide about milk for toddlers aged 1

Milk is not only important for babies under one year, but until he is a toddler in order to support the child's development. When a child turns 1 year old, there are more types of formula milk available with different flavor variants. How do you choose formula milk for toddlers and can your little one only drink milk without eating in one day? The following is a complete explanation of milk for toddlers aged 1-5 years.

What are the types of milk for toddlers?

If you are planning to give your little one formula milk, it's good to know the type of milk for toddlers so that you can provide the right one for him.

On the market, there are many types of formula milk from various sources, forms, as well as various brands.

Quoting from the Mayo Clinic, the following types of formula milk for toddlers:

Formula milk from cow's milk

Most formulas come from cow's milk which contains the right balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

The protein in this formula has undergone changes, making it easier to digest.

Unlike regular cow's milk, which contains protein that is more difficult for babies to digest.

Soy milk formula

This type of formula is made from soy milk. Usually, babies need this type of formula if they have:

• Temporary lactose intolerance due to gastrointestinal infection
• Cow's milk allergy related to immunoglobulin E (IgE)
• Galactosemia
• Congenital lactase deficiency

Currently, there are many choices of soy milk that can be tried by toddlers with the above conditions.

Lactose free formula

This formula does not contain lactose (sugar contained in milk), so the sugar in this formula is usually replaced with other types of sugar, such as corn syrup.

This type of formula is suitable for children who have lactose intolerance or who are unable to digest lactose.

Partial hydrolyzed formula or hypoallergenic (HA) milk

This formula contains protein that has been broken down into smaller forms (hydrolyzed) so that it is easier for the baby to digest.

Generally, babies who need this type of formula are babies who have a milk protein allergy or who have problems with absorption of nutrients (usually premature babies).

UHT milk

UHT milk is milk that is heated with high heating technology to kill all microorganisms in it.

High Temperature Short Time (HTST) is a short heating method with a temperature of 140 to 145 Celsius for 4 seconds which is able to kill harmful bacteria while maintaining the nutrients in the milk.

At this very high temperature, all the bacteria that carry harmful diseases including the spores and enzymes that destroy milk die.

The heated milk is then immediately put into the container so that bacteria from outside do not have the opportunity to enter and contaminate the milk.

With this very high heating system, UHT milk has a longer shelf life at room temperature.

In fact, if the seal has not been opened, UHT milk can be stored without refrigeration for up to nine months with the quality that does not decrease.

How do you choose formula milk for toddlers?

Formula milk can be one of your children's foods after drinking breast milk. Choosing formula milk is neither difficult nor easy.

Here are some ways to choose formula milk for toddlers:

Adjust to age

The way to choose milk that you should do first is to adjust the type of milk to the age of your child.

The reason is, each type of milk is formulated according to the needs of children based on their respective ages.

The method is very easy. You only need to look at the label on the box or can of milk, then pay attention to the age recommendation listed.

If your little one is one year old, this means that you must choose special milk for his age. Usually, the box or can of milk says "for ages 1-3 years".

Choose milk that tastes like your child

Choosing the taste of children's milk is one way of choosing milk that is often ignored by parents.

Not a few parents choose milk, the important thing is that milk is good for the health of their little one.

When a child drinks milk with a taste that he doesn't like, he will naturally refuse or even strike down to drink milk. As a result, children do not get enough nutrition during their growing years.

So, choose the type of milk that tastes delicious and that your child likes. If your little one likes vanilla flavor, add milk with a vanilla flavor.

Likewise, if the child likes chocolate milk, give chocolate milk so that the child wants to drink milk.

Pay attention to the nutritional content

One year old children can no longer rely on fat intake from breast milk to support their growth and development.

This means that children begin to need additional fat intake from outside, one of which is milk - both cow's milk and low fat.

Milk fat is useful for improving children's brain development. But remember, this fat should not be too much so as not to trigger obesity in children.

Children at this age should only drink a maximum of 500 cc a day, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Make sure the milk you choose is rich in vitamins and minerals needed by children, including vitamin A, vitamin D, calcium, and so on.

All of these nutrients are important for maintaining eye health, forming healthy bones and teeth, and increasing the child's immune system.

In addition, milk for children aged 1-3 years needs to contain refined protein so that it is easily digested in the little one's stomach and will not cause digestive problems.

But most importantly, milk for children must also contain omega 3 and 6 which are important for intelligence.

Omega 3 and 6 are the most important types of fatty acids that can improve cognitive function and intelligence in children.

Omega 3 and 6 from food or milk will be converted into DHA with the help of delta-4-desaturase enzymes.

The more omega 3 and 6 the child gets, the more DHA is formed in the child's body.

As a result, this can help strengthen children's brain function and increase their intelligence.

Choose milk according to the condition of the toddler

In choosing formula milk for toddlers, you need to understand the child's condition.

If your little one has no allergies or has no problem digesting milk, you can give formula milk made from cow's milk.

However, if your child has lactose intolerance or is allergic to milk protein, it is advisable to provide lactose-free formula, soy formula, or hydrolyzed formula for your little one.

Meanwhile, children with underweight conditions need high-calorie milk to quickly increase their body weight.

Here are some situations that make children need high-calorie milk:

Bad children's eating habits

Entering the age of 1-5 years, children can begin to choose their favorite food. On the one hand, this is good because it signifies growth and development.

But on the other hand, it can also cause problems because the food you choose is not necessarily healthy.

Habitual problems that will arise at the age of toddlers, namely food choices or picky eater, bored, until the child does not focus while eating.

The situation above is often the reason children under five need to be given weight gain milk.

Reporting from the Mayo Clinic page, picky eater can interfere with the development and weight growth of toddlers if he chooses unhealthy foods.

Environmental factor

There are several types of parents who have a fear of their children being obese. If it is too limited, this will have an impact on insufficient nutritional intake for your little one.

Finally, these limited food choices and portions make the growth of children under five disturbed so they need weight gain milk.

Not only that, environmental factors here can also be caused by socio-economic conditions.

Poverty, for example, can make parents unable to provide healthy and nutritious food for their children.

Seeing the conditions above, it is very important to recognize and treat children with low weight because it can lead to malnutrition or other medical problems.

Malnutrition conditions can make children experience complications, such as a weakened immune system, shorter stature, learning difficulties, and developmental disorders.

If your child's weight cannot increase with diet, the doctor will give weight gain milk to gain weight faster.

Pay attention to the expiration date

In general, formula milk contains a variety of nutrients and nutrition for toddlers that are almost the same even though they are different brands.

When choosing formula milk, you should check the expiration date on the package.

Make sure the product has not passed the expiration date and is still far from the expiration date and the product packaging is not damaged.

This is because damaged packaging can affect the quality of formula milk.

Nutritional content in infant formula

In choosing formula milk, you should not carelessly. Choose formula milk that contains nutritional goodness for children. Some of the ingredients of formula milk are:

Calories

When you are looking for formula milk, look at the number of calories in one glass of milk. You can see it in the nutritional adequacy number listed on dairy products.

Why is this important? Calories have a role to produce energy for children. The following is a child's calorie needs according to their age:

• Toddlers aged 1-3 years: 1125 kilocalories (kcal)
• Toddlers aged 4-6 years: 1600 kilocalories (kcal)

To find the type of milk with the right calorie dose for your toddler's eating schedule, ask your doctor for recommendations.

Especially for children who need to gain weight because extra calories are very important.

Fat

Reporting from the Heart page, toddlers aged 2-3 years need total fat intake between 30-35 percent of total calories.

Meanwhile, children aged 4-18 years need 25-35 percent of total calories.

The following is the need for children's fat based on the nutritional adequacy rate in 2013:

• Toddlers aged 1-3 years: 44 grams
• Toddlers aged 4-6 years: 62 grams

These fats can be obtained from various sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids such as fish, nuts, and vegetable oils.

Protein

Protein plays a role in the formation of cells in the body, hormones, the immune system, and the growth of body support structures such as muscles.

Based on the 2013 Adequacy Rate (RDA), toddlers need as much protein intake as:

• Toddlers 1-3 years: 26 grams
• Toddlers 4-6 years: 35 grams

When you decide to buy formula milk for toddlers, don't forget to look at the nutritional adequacy table on each product package.

There is a written number according to the child's age so that the mother is not confused.

Calcium

The important content in the next toddler's milk is calcium and vitamin D.

Quoting from the Kids Health page, calcium is an important substance to increase bone density and strength during the growth period of toddlers 1-5 years.

There are differences with the calcium needs of infants and toddlers based on the 2013 nutritional adequacy rate, namely:

• Toddlers aged 1-3 years: 650 milligrams (mg)
• Toddlers ages 4-6 years: 1000 milligrams (mg)

Infants and toddlers need calcium and vitamin D to avoid rickets. Rickets is a condition where the bones work weak and their growth is stunted.

Apart from milk, calcium can also be found in several types of food, such as yogurt cheese, kidney beans, almonds, and green vegetables.

Can toddlers only drink milk all day without eating?

Cow's milk is called a natural food that is almost perfect because it contains complete nutrition.

From calories, protein, sugar, carbohydrates, folic acid, fat, to vitamins and minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, all in a glass of cow's milk.

However, even though it is nutrient dense, milk cannot be used as a substitute for food for toddlers because as children get older their nutritional needs will increase in number and variety.

A glass of milk is still not able to meet the needs of a variety of nutrients in one day.

Here's a case in point: a glass of cow's milk usually only contains 8 grams of protein. Meanwhile, based on the Nutritional Adequacy Rate (RDA), the average toddler aged 1-5 years needs around 26-35 grams of protein every day.

Drinking three glasses of cow's milk a day has not been able to meet the protein needs of children under five.

Moreover, milk is low in vitamin C and fiber. The content of this unbalanced variation is certainly not good for the child's body. If a child only wants to drink milk, it is not impossible that he will be malnourished.

The impact of drinking too much milk, namely:

• Obesity
• Constipation
• Iron deficiency anemia

Most of drinking milk over a long period of time can make you gain weight and interfere with growth.

You still have to give formula milk according to packaging recommendations, don't overdo it because children also need nutritional intake from other foods.

The toddler sign doesn't go well with formula milk

When the child does not match the formula that the mother provides, various signs and symptoms will appear, namely:

• Diarrhea or hard bowel movements
• More fussy
• Gag
• Weakness or fatigue quickly

However, these signs may appear without anything to do with formula compatibility.

We recommend that you consult a doctor immediately if your child shows signs like the ones above.

Don't forget to ask your doctor whether you need to change your baby's formula or not.

How to train toddlers to drink milk using a glass

As your little one gets older, you need to train toddlers to drink milk using a glass.

The reason is, the use of a pacifier is no longer recommended because it can interfere with the child's sucking and mouth.

Some ways to train toddlers to drink milk using glass, namely:

• See the readiness of toddlers based on age (over 1 year old can be taught to slowly use a glass or sippy cup)
• Replace the milk bottle with a glass slowly
• Give an example of drinking milk using a glass
• Keep bottles out of reach of children

Quoted from the website of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the use of a pacifier in infants has an effect on the inaccurate baby suction technique.

Meanwhile, in toddlers, the development of the oral phase at the age of 1-5 years should start learning to drink using a glass.

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